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The Reason for the Season

Happy Sunday To All My Fellow Readers :)

Today I want to do a quick review of a book I finished at the end of December.

I say quick for two reasons,
1) As the book was only eighty pages it will be a shorter review than normal, and
2) Our new kitten Katsa is still in the stage where she wants to be with us 24/7, so anytime we're home she's with us. As such she is currently sitting on my lap while I'm typing this so it will also be a shorter review than normal.

Back in May, Book Outlet had a mother's day book sale that my hubby and I both took advantage of to buy a few books. One of the books I purchased was this devotional novel by Max Lucado titled Celebrating Christmas With Jesus: An Advent Devotional, for a pretty amazing price of 99 cents. I then put it aside until December came, and I looked forward to reading it as a way to really remember the true reason for the Christmas season. It always seems that the whole month of December always goes by so fast around work being so busy, getting my shopping, baking, wrapping, and whatever else done, and this year I really enjoyed getting to take a few minutes each day to truly reflect on what is actually important. Here is my short review on this advent novel.
 
This wasn't my first experience with a Max Lucado novel, as I have enjoyed a few of his books in the past, as well as a couple of movies that have been based off his novels, but this was my first time reading a devotional novel by him. Here is the goodreads synopsis for this particular book:
 
 "Let Advent come alive in your life this Christmas.Every Christmas, Christians all over the world celebrate the Advent season, recognizing the love, hope, joy, and peace that is found only in Jesus Christ. Through this 30-day devotional, Max Lucado brings to light the many events in the life of Christ from birth to ascension that demonstrate His omnipotence and the gift that God has given each one of us to enjoy during this Christmas season. Experience each moment as our Savior becomes the center of this Christmas for you." https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12734981-celebrating-christmas-with-jesus?from_search=true&search_version=service
 
Basically this novel is a short 80 page book that is divided into 30 chapters, and designed for one chapter to be read each day during the month of December, to set aside a few minutes out of each day to reflect on Jesus and the events surrounding his remarkable life. Chapters are dedicated to his birth, first miracle, his ministry, the events leading to his death including Judas' betrayal, his resurrection, and many others along the way. I enjoyed how while each chapter was only a couple of pages, Lucado really gave an insightful description into why many of these events were necessary to happen for God's will to be done, and I found his descriptions to be both interesting, and enlightening throughout the whole novel. It was awesome to have most of the important events throughout Jesus' life be highlighted in this one book, and I found myself really looking forward to the time I set aside each day to read this book.
 
If you're looking for a devotional for next Christmas, I would highly recommend giving this one a try. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars, and only wished that each chapter had been a little bit longer, but it is more of a novella than an actual novel.
 
My favorite quote was from the chapter on Jesus' first miracle where Lucado states "As a result, he changes his plan to meet the needs of some friends. Incredible. The schedule of Heaven is altered So some friends won't be embarrassed. The inaugural miracle is motivated-not by tragedy or famine or moral collapse-but by concern for friend's who are in a bind."
 
Thanks for reading everyone, and I will be back soon with a review on the first books I read to ring in 2016 :)
 
This is not a sponsored post. This book was not provided in exchange for review. It was purchased by me with my own money. The synopsis is taken from goodreads, and credit is given to their website. I'm not affiliated with www.bookoutlet.ca I am just a huge fan of their website. The photo was taken by me with an iPhone, and belongs to me.

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